Avoiding potential problem/disaster in the 3800 - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 07-04-2013, 10:28 PM   #1
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Avoiding potential problem/disaster in the 3800

I noticed a few months ago that the exterior bezel on the water heater was crooked and leaning downward. I could tell because of the broken line of caulking that surrounded the bezel.

Today I decided I'd straighten the bezel so it looked normal again and not running downhill and all stupid looking.

I removed the door and the bezel to find one of the screws holding the tank in place had either pulled out of the wood or was never fully inserted into the wood. I decided it was a QC thing so I simply relocated the screw and brought the tank back to its original straight position.

Finished for the day and having time to ponder I wondered if it might not be a good idea to shore up the tank in case the sagging problem was caused by having 86 pounds of water pulling on the screw.

I checked all around the tank (inside the rig), and deemed it to be sitting rightly on the floor. That satisfied me but I did notice the tank was sitting fully on a hot water line. There are two fixed behind the tank, one white and one red. I tried to pull the red one out from under the tank but the tank was full so I turned the heater off, shut the water down and drained the tank.

I was then able to wiggle the red line out from beneath the heavy tank therefore avoiding a potential break in that line or perhaps collapsing it.

This makes me wonder at times if the manufacturer employees visually impaired installers or people that just don't care. Each time I find something like this it makes me further wonder where this person's pride in workmanship went, providing they ever had any pride.

I suppose it's up to us as owners and warranty repair orders to find these problems. Problems that shouldn't happen if someone would take three seconds to check their work.
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Old 09-14-2013, 04:08 PM   #2
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I'm looking to purchase a new voltage 3800 just joined this site to find out what I could about the Dutchman products
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Old 09-14-2013, 04:28 PM   #3
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I have a 2013 3800 and have had minor problems with it that I handled with ease. So far it has only been adjustment and personal touch type of stuff.

Read through the threads and you'll see the problems with Dutchman products. Many of the parts and pieces of these things carry over from model to model and brand to brand. Some slight differences in them but most of the problems/complaints work across the board.
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:01 AM   #4
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voltage 3800

Thanks Sundancer We are waiting for the dealership to bring in a 3800 Im just reading the different posts getting a feel for the different type of problems. I have a raptor now and its been a bet of a pain I've narrowed it down to a Voltage or a Cyclone
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:58 AM   #5
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Thanks Sundancer We are waiting for the dealership to bring in a 3800 Im just reading the different posts getting a feel for the different type of problems. I have a raptor now and its been a bet of a pain I've narrowed it down to a Voltage or a Cyclone
That's easy ! Voltage or Cyclone? There is no comparison between the two. Dutchmen Voltage is far superior over Cyclone, even with a few factory quality control issues by Dutchmen.
You will be happier with the Voltage.
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Old 09-16-2013, 03:24 PM   #6
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I chose Voltage over Cyclone. Took a trip to Columbus to look at the Cyclone and to Denver to look at the Voltage. I had narrowed it down to those two and Voltage came out on top.
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Old 09-17-2013, 02:21 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by buckeroo View Post
I'm looking to purchase a new voltage 3800 just joined this site to find out what I could about the Dutchman products
Look at all other options before you by a Thor product.

I am still kicking my back side for buying a second Thor product, after knowing what kind of job they did building our Airstream.
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Old 09-28-2013, 07:58 PM   #8
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Look at all other options before you by a Thor product.

I am still kicking my back side for buying a second Thor product, after knowing what kind of job they did building our Airstream.
The problem is ALL RV makes have very poor QC. I read the other boards for Keystone, Redwood, Jayco, etc. and they are all filled with nightmare stories.
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Old 09-28-2013, 08:04 PM   #9
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Look at all other options before you by a Thor product.
Those options are pretty thin... considering Thor owns 95% of the world RV market. Just sayin'.
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